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Distribution in scandinavian waters
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Maximum length: Boring sponges can only be as large as the shell
they live in.
Appearance:
Golden yellow to greenish in colour. The parts of the
sponge that stick out of the holes are fluffy. They feel
soft and slightly glossy.
Depth: Living examples can be found from about 3m and
deeper. Old bored examples can be found along the
shoreline.
Environment: Boring sponges live in lime (calcium) rich objects
where they chemically bore passages and cavities. The calcareous object
can be almost hollow. Fast-growing specie can build a covering lump
around the whole of the original calcareous object. Boring sponges are
often found on old, thick shells from i.e. whelks or as pictured above,
Black
clams .
Misc: Boring sponges are important because they enable calcium
that is bonded in solid form, i.e. shells, to be transformed into a
solution (liquid form) and reused to build new constructions.
The picture above shows keel
worm tubes.
Classification: Boring sponges belong to the silica
sponges under the group sponges (porifera).
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